We Have The Experience
More than10,000 students in over 148 countries since 2002 have chosen to learn English using the English Essentials web site.

Perfect For Busy People
The English Essentials English learning system allows you to learn at your convenience.

Learning for 10 minutes every day is better than 70 minutes one day a week (both give you 70 minutes learning per week, but you will get far better results with our system using the first method).

Our Students Achieve Amazing Results
While every student who follows our system improves their English, most usually improve more, and faster than they expected.

Our results range from 50% improvement to a huge 1,100% improvement in one or more areas of English.

This proves that the English Essentials system works, and is powerful.  It makes English learning simple, fast and effective for students of all levels....Learn more.

Is English Easy Or Difficult?

Most people feel English is difficult because of one or more of the following 10 reasons:

1. Focus on grammar
2. Learn too much
3. Don’t practice enough
4. Try to understand everything you learn
5. Translate from your native language to English and vice-versa
6. Don’t see or feel your improvements
7. Put yourself down
8. Fear speaking/lack confidence
9. Focus on one way to learn English only
10. Learn or practice alone

Focus On Grammar

PROBLEM:
Grammar is a complex system, not a skill.  We can learn skills
 
Example
Riding a bike or driving a car.  It doesn’t take long to learn the skills required to ride a bike or drive a car.  Once we develop these skills, we can do it confidently and successfully.  We can understand what we need to do and we can do it.
 
Most people learning English have studied grammar for more than six years, but still are not confident with it and don’t really understand it.
 
This means that you cannot learn it.  It is crazy to try to understand it.
 
Can you imagine learning how to ride a bike or drive a car for six years and at the end you still don’t feel confident or comfortable to ride the bike or drive the car?  Crazy!!!
 
So do not try to understand grammar.  It will waste your time and energy.
 
 
SOLUTION:

• The more natural you make English learning, the easier it will be.
   
• You didn’t learn grammar to speak your first language.  You spoke some of it before you learned any grammar.  Learning English should be the same.
   
• When you were a baby, you spent a lot of time copying sentences.  Some of your sentences were wrong and your parents corrected you. You need to develop your English skills the same way.  Copy sentences from native English speakers, get them corrected, then keep repeating them until they become natural for you.
   
• You don’t need grammar or to understand everything.  Just accept the sentences as they are.
   
• Understand that it takes time.  Learn and practice a little every day to keep your progress and skills improving and in time you will amaze yourself.

Learn Too Much, Don’t Practice Enough

PROBLEM
While our brain can take in (receive) and store (keep) so much information at one time, you can’t recall (use) it anytime.
 
Example:
When we read a book (in your native language), you can remember the story, but you cannot remember all the sentences exactly or all the new words you learned during the book.
 
Because we think our brain can remember so much information, we do crazy things like read the dictionary, try to learn one or more chapters from a text book, or try to remember dozens of idioms.
 
At the time, you think you are learning and everything is great, but then the next day you feel you are “not good enough” because you cannot “remember” (use) much of what you learned.
 
I say everyone (at least some point in time) learns 95% of the time and practices only 5%
 
 
SOLUTION

1. Reverse the problem with 5% learning and 95% practicing.
    
2. To “remember” (use) anything we learned, we need to repeat the words/phrases over and over first.
    
3. The best is to learn a small number of words, associate a meaning and practice them often.
    
4. Also a little bit every day is better than a lot on one day (10 minutes every day, total 70 minutes in a week, is better than 70 minutes on one day a week).

Try To Understand
Everything You Learn

PROBLEM:
When we learn, we always want to know everything and always ask “WHY”? 

This drives you crazy, wastes too much of your time and energy, and you are never happy.

Examples:
Is it a noun?
Is it an auxiliary verb?
Is it polite, formal or casual?
Can I use it as a question?
Can I use it in past tense or future tense?
…and so on
 

SOLUTION

1. Learn vocabulary through sentences and conversations.  This way you will understand the meaning, usage and pronunciation automatically.  You just need to copy how native English speakers use the vocabulary.  Then you don’t need to worry about “Why? Why? Why?”
    
2. Language Is Just Patterns Of Sounds:
   
   English Example:
   Hello, how are you? = fine thank you, and you?
   
   It is so much of a pattern (thanks to text books) that you say you are fine, even when you are not.
   
   This pattern has been repeated so many times that the pattern is so strong for you that you will never forget it. You say it without thinking. It is 100% natural and native to you.
    
3. It doesn’t matter how bad your memory is, if you learn a little, practice a lot and make stronger patterns in your mind, you will be able to remember and use everything you learn.

Translate From Your Native Language
To English And Vice-Versa

PROBLEM:
Because you have learned grammar (a system), you think technically and systematically.  In your mind, you are thinking so much, for example: subject - verb - object, tenses, prepositions and articles, pronunciation and so on. 

So then you try to make a short cut by making the sentence in your native language, then translating it into English with the hope the sentence will be correct.

Unfortunately direct translations are not always correct or accurate.  I would say they are about 70% correct.

Also it takes too long to translate and think of all those other things.  So if you are learning English as a hobby, then that is fine.  It is enough. 

However, if you are serious about improving your English (which I know you are because you are reading this), then you need to stop translating so you can start speaking faster and more fluently. 

SOLUTION

1. Learn and practice using sentence templates.  Sentence templates are sentences which you can use as your “base” and just change one or more words to instantly create many more sentences.
   
   Example:
   What did you do?
   What did you play?
   What did she eat?
   What did he drink?
   What did it ruin?
    
2. All you need to do is practice the full sentence many times to create a pattern so deep in your mind that you never forget it.  Then you can “remember” (use) the sentence anytime and it will come out naturally and fluently with no translations or grammar or anything that will slow your English communication skills down. J
    
3. Understand that things are not the same in English as your native language.
    
4. Be patient

Don’t See Or Feel Your Improvements

PROBLEM:
If you don’t see or feel you are improving, it is because of one or more of the problems we are discussing here today.

THE TRAP:
You feel you need more vocabulary to speak English well.

• I disagree because right now, most likely, more vocabulary will confuse and frustrate you more.
  
  Do you feel frustrated and confused because of vocabulary?
  
  Right now, if you just learned more vocabulary, it will make it worse (just more vocabulary that you are not practicing)
  
  Exaggerated Example:
  You learn 100 words, You remember 10, You use 1

SOLUTION:

1. I do agree that you do need more vocabulary because the more vocabulary you know, the more you are able to say.
    
2. You need to practice the vocabulary more!
    
3. You have so much English vocabulary in your brain that you don’t use, but because you don’t use (practice) them to create patterns, you have forgotten they are there.  So you need to find those words first, and start using them so you can create patterns and remember them forever.  This will build your vocabulary instantly because you have already “learned” them.  By learning “new” vocabulary, you have to start from the beginning (learning).
    
4. DO NOT learn vocabulary by reading the dictionary - there is no “practice” there, and most words have multiple meanings.  You will be so confused because you won’t know the context.  Language is about context. So the best way to learn new vocabulary is by sentences/conversations.
    
5. Another reason why you don’t need to focus on vocabulary totally is because you have been reading for a long time now and you have understood almost everything I have typed. I have not used any vocabulary you do not know.  So you have enough vocabulary to speak fluently, you just don’t have the skill.  We need to develop your skills by practicing first.
    
6. To keep motivated, make an audio diary, listen to it sometimes, chat with a friend or native speaker about once a month to get feedback on your progress, re-gain motivation, energy and your focus back.
    
7. The average native English speaker knows 12,000-20,000 words.
   
   If you…
   Learn1 word a day = 365 words a year
   Learn 3 words a day = 1095 words a year
   Learn 5 words a day = 1825 words a year
   (You can be better than 99% of others learning English within 1-2 years).
    
8. You have many chances to practice without any extra time, including driving, eating and cooking.

Put Yourself Down

PROBLEM
When you say “My English is poor” or “My English is not good” you are making a pattern in your brain that will make sure your English will never be good (in your opinion).

What you think, you say and believe.  What you believe becomes true!

So if you keep saying your English is poor, you will always believe it and it will be true
 

SOLUTION

1. If you really can’t say your English is good, you can at least say “My English is improving” or “I am getting better at English” or “English is fun”  This way you will feel good and improve J
    
2. Say it now “My English is good”

Fear speaking/lack confidence

PROBLEM
Many people lack confidence to speak English because they worry…

• About making mistakes

• That the other person will not understand what they say

• That the other person will laugh at them if they make a mistake

SOLUTION

1. Remember that 99% of people want to be seen as “good, nice, friendly” people.  So they will never laugh or say bad things when you make a mistake.
    
2. If you speak with someone who is learning, or has learned another language, they know for sure how difficult it is, so they will never laugh.  Instead, they will probably help you J
    
3. If the person laughs, here is your comeback…
   
   Example:
   You speak with a native English speaker and they laugh when you make a mistake.
   
   Say, “Oh, I’m so sorry my English is not perfect.  I am just a beginner.  You are right.  My English isn’t good enough to communicate.  Let’s speak in {your native language}. 
   
   Suddenly they will say, “Oh no, your English is fine.  You win J

Focus On One Way To Learn English Only

PROBLEM
If you learn English using only one way, you are making it hard for yourself.  You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”.  This means, the more you practice, the better you will become.

Many people attend one English lesson a day/week, or just read English books, or just watch DVDs, or just read the dictionary, or just chat with some friends online.  Doing one of these alone is not enough!

You need to do all of them!

SOLUTION
So you need to use many different tools to learn and practice English.  Try to make your learning as close to living in a native English speaking country as possible.  So you need to read, listen, speak, write as much as possible.

The online English Essentials Community Membership is a perfect place for this.

It has many lessons and activities that will help you listen, speak, read, write and interact with others anytime of the day, any day of the year.  It is 100% convenient and is filled with great tips to keep you improving and motivated.

This is essential for anyone learning English.

Click here for an overview of what you get in the English Essentials Community Membership.

Learn Or Practice Alone

PROBLEM
Without a native English speaker, how will you know if your English is correct or not?

Without a native English speaker, how will you learn the “native” style to words and phrases?

By trying to save time, money and energy, thinking you can do it all on your own, you actually waste more time, money and energy.

I find that those who study English as a hobby do this more than those who are serious.  And that is why those who study English as a hobby never reach their goals or become great English speakers. 

Those who invest their time, money and energy are serious, and they are the ones who become great English speakers.  I know you will too, because you are investing your time into reading this page.

SOLUTION
The online English Essentials Community Membership is a perfect place for this.

It has thousands of members who you can make friends with, learn and practice together.  You also have the chance to speak and learn from native English speakers.  And you learn the native way with my lessons and tips.

Click here for an overview of what you get in the English Essentials Community Membership.